[crabcakes_windermere]

ii. Repeatedly tell them how special they were, and how much he loved them.

This. 1000 times this. Qanon believer? Makes you special - you know "the truth". Vaccine sceptic? You're special - you've figured out what has eluded scientists. Climate change denier? You're so special, you've realised that it's just nature!

it's all about people whose inherent, unearned power and influence that stems from privilege is waning (though they can have as much power and influence as they like if they work for it - which is the problem), so instead they retreat into a world where they're still something above the norm.

[The Red Arrow]

And fingers crossed for this one...

Georgia prosecutors open criminal investigation into Trump phone call

Letter orders state government to preserve documents, including those related to Trump’s ‘find more votes’ call to secretary of state

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/202 ... estigation

[Samanfur]

ii. Repeatedly tell them how special they were, and how much he loved them.

This. 1000 times this. Qanon believer? Makes you special - you know "the truth". Vaccine sceptic? You're special - you've figured out what has eluded scientists. Climate change denier? You're so special, you've realised that it's just nature!

it's all about people whose inherent, unearned power and influence that stems from privilege is waning (though they can have as much power and influence as they like if they work for it - which is the problem), so instead they retreat into a world where they're still something above the norm.

Absolutely. You may find this game designer's analysis of Q Anon interesting - it was doing the rounds in the days after the Capitol insurrection.

[davidjay]

ii. Repeatedly tell them how special they were, and how much he loved them.

This. 1000 times this. Qanon believer? Makes you special - you know "the truth". Vaccine sceptic? You're special - you've figured out what has eluded scientists. Climate change denier? You're so special, you've realised that it's just nature!

it's all about people whose inherent, unearned power and influence that stems from privilege is waning (though they can have as much power and influence as they like if they work for it - which is the problem), so instead they retreat into a world where they're still something above the norm.

Absolutely. You may find this game designer's analysis of Q Anon interesting - it was doing the rounds in the days after the Capitol insurrection.

I'd probably agree with that, but to be honest I understood about one word in seven.

[The Red Arrow]

That's all they want you to understand.

[Boiler]

More footage from CCTV;

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-56020251

[Scarlet emperor]

There should be no doubt that if it hadn't been for the actions of the cops and security, as well as a shitload of luck, there would have been senators and others beaten and killed. Can you imagine if Mitt Romney had run into the middle of them? Or they'd found Nancy Pelosi?
Mike Pence especially was lucky. Remember Trump tweeted in the middle of all this that Pence had let everyone down knowing that these fuckwits would read that tweet and be whipped up. They had a fucking GALLOWS built outside!
Cruz, Rubio, Graham and others blood should be running cold at that. Nobody has been more subservient to Trump than Pence and he was ready to feed him to the mob. Yet still they kiss his ass. That is how stupid and short sighted they are.

[Bones McCoy]

There should be no doubt that if it hadn't been for the actions of the cops and security, as well as a shitload of luck, there would have been senators and others beaten and killed. Can you imagine if Mitt Romney had run into the middle of them? Or they'd found Nancy Pelosi?
Mike Pence especially was lucky. Remember Trump tweeted in the middle of all this that Pence had let everyone down knowing that these fuckwits would read that tweet and be whipped up. They had a fucking GALLOWS built outside!
Cruz, Rubio, Graham and others blood should be running cold at that. Nobody has been more subservient to Trump than Pence and he was ready to feed him to the mob. Yet still they kiss his ass. That is how stupid and short sighted they are.

I wonder whether the penny had dropped, especially for Cruz, Rubio, Graham and Hawley.
They can hang about DC playing edgelord for a few more years.
Eventually they'll likely return to their old home state, with its radicalized complement of open carry gun-nuts.

Were they sufficiently loyal?
Won't be Cruz, Rubio, Graham and Hawley making that call.
It'll be the nuts.

It's just a thought.

[crabcakes_windermere]

While I'm in no way suggesting I wish the events on Jan 6th had been worse, I reckon if the mob had found Pence or Romney things would be very different right now and the conviction of Trump would be a done deal. It's because none of them got hurt that they can pretend they're still OK.

(Depressingly, I suspect if the mob had found Pelosi, things would be much the same.)

[Bones McCoy]

Those law enforcement and military types at the capitol riot.

Nothing to see here:

Explosives are missing from the nation's largest Marine Corps base and an investigation is underway

https://edition.cnn.com/2021/02/09/us/c ... index.html

[MisterMuncher]

ii. Repeatedly tell them how special they were, and how much he loved them.

This. 1000 times this. Qanon believer? Makes you special - you know "the truth". Vaccine sceptic? You're special - you've figured out what has eluded scientists. Climate change denier? You're so special, you've realised that it's just nature!

it's all about people whose inherent, unearned power and influence that stems from privilege is waning (though they can have as much power and influence as they like if they work for it - which is the problem), so instead they retreat into a world where they're still something above the norm.

Absolutely. You may find this game designer's analysis of Q Anon interesting - it was doing the rounds in the days after the Capitol insurrection.

I enjoyed this article, and it definitely has some good points to make re: how to recruit a moron army with unshakable faith. However...

This article, and about 90-odd prevent of articles about "Q" in the specific and Trumpism in general are overlooking the (to me) obvious fact that a great many (maybe even the majority) of these people don't believe a fucking word of it. I mean, they'll say it aloud, and rush to the interwebs to dissect the latest Q drop or whatever, and turn up with pitchfork and torch as required, but in terms of secret peado rings, Trump's secret army and all that, those are just nice excuses.


America's "Megachurches" only really started to grow when the preachers could make it clear that God's particular prejudices matched the local populace's. All of a sudden, the various bigots had a nice shiny gold frame for their worldview. The same instinct to gentrify hatred is well at work here.

[The Rationalist]

https://www.washingtonpost.com/business ... -problems/


Interesting data points around the background of some of the Capitol Protestors and the interaction between their own personal failures and the need to protest - always someone else's fault.

[Malcolm Armsteen]

Paywalled.

[Bones McCoy]

Paywalled.

In brief, around 20% of the invaders had some experience of financial problems (Contrast with 10% of US population).
Is 20% a significant proportion, there's been a big focus on 20% of them having military or police backgrounds.
To me is seems like grasping for a broader explanation: commendable, but the numbers are hardly conclusive.

It may provide some insight into middle class white resentment.
We live in our nice welfare state, fairly secure about our savings and pensions (unless we take a sudden interest in Charlie or FoBTs).
We may not be rich, but we have a fair idea of how long that savings pot will last if the job goes tits up.

Those Trumpians have the society they always voted for.
One with a far smaller safety net, and far greater precarity.
You might own the biggest shop on main-street, but you're one auto-wreck or screening-test from bankruptcy.
Nobody gives a shit when they're 20 something, but the Capitol invaders were mainly 50 somethings, and starting to look at life after a regular income.

Like I say, precisely what they've been voting for from Reagan onward.

Edit: Notable that the majority of the "financial stress" listed was liens (?) for unpaid taxes. Patriots?

[The Weeping Angel]

Paywalled.

In brief, around 20% of the invaders had some experience of financial problems (Contrast with 10% of US population).
Is 20% a significant proportion, there's been a big focus on 20% of them having military or police backgrounds.
To me is seems like grasping for a broader explanation: commendable, but the numbers are hardly conclusive.

It may provide some insight into middle class white resentment.
We live in our nice welfare state, fairly secure about our savings and pensions (unless we take a sudden interest in Charlie or FoBTs).
We may not be rich, but we have a fair idea of how long that savings pot will last if the job goes tits up.

Those Trumpians have the society they always voted for.
One with a far smaller safety net, and far greater precarity.
You might own the biggest shop on main-street, but you're one auto-wreck or screening-test from bankruptcy.
Nobody gives a shit when they're 20 something, but the Capitol invaders were mainly 50 somethings, and starting to look at life after a regular income.

Like I say, precisely what they've been voting for from Reagan onward.

Edit: Notable that the majority of the "financial stress" listed was liens (?) for unpaid taxes. Patriots?

It's more econminc anxiety which is used to justify the behaviour and actions of Trump supporters.